SMC hosts annual math tournament

March 30, 2006

The Eighth Annual High School Mathematics Tournament was hosted by Southwestern Michigan College on March 14 in the Fred L. Mathews Conference Center. This year, 28 teams from 14 high schools competed. Each team is made up of three students, each with their own unique problem-solving techniques. "As a mathematician myself, it is very exciting to see students enjoy the challenges of a math tournament," David Mathews, president of Southwestern Michigan College, said. "Students who participate in this event are typically some of the brightest in their class in math. This event gives them a chance to challenge themselves against others at their same level." There were two classes of teams with four winners per class. Each student on a winning team was awarded their choice of either a gift certificate to Barnes & Noble or a TI-89 calculator. Results from the 2006 tournament: Class A/B 1st place: St. Joseph's High School, Team 1 -- Nick Beaty, Drew Hill, Mike McCann (Adviser: Tom Miesse) 2nd place: St. Joseph's High School, Team 2 -- Ian Greenlee, Steve Wu, Celia Zhang (Adviser: Tom Miesse) 3rd place: South Bend, Clay High School -- Bobby Bednarek, Jeff Chung, Jason Chung (Adviser: Gene Buczynski) 4th place: Niles High School, Team 1 -- Matt Smith, Bobby Nash, Nathan Fink (Advisor: Rob Babler) Class C/D 1st place: Bridgman High School, Team 1 --Bryan Green, Peter Merrick, Miles Strebeck (Adviser: Gary Owen) 2nd place: Bridgman High School, Team 2 --Erin McElwain, Mike Welch, Jason Workman (Adviser: Gary Owen) 3rd place: Eau Claire High School, Team 1 -- Jordan Harris, Phil Patterson, Thomas Wilson (Adviser: Scott Desenberg) 4th place: Constantine High School, Team 1 -- Aubrey Kelley-Cogdell, Sean Paliganoff, Sierra Steele (Adviser: Jon Stasiuk)